OVERVIEW: The Ensworth Charitable Foundation supports services and interventions for vulnerable people in the greater Hartford area. Arts and culture and education are other areas of interest.
IP TAKE: The Ensworth Charitable Foundation gives broadly to organizations that aim to improve the lives of poor and vulnerable people in greater Hartford. This funder seems willing to take risks on innovative solutions and newer organizations. Unfortunately, it does not particularly accessible. Apply via Bank of America by January 15 for consideration.
PROFILE: Established in 1948 by Antoinette L. Ensworth, the Ensworth Charitable Foundation is a private foundation based in Connecticut and managed by Bank of America’s Connecticut office. The foundation mission is “to support and promote educational, cultural, human services, religious, and health, art and cultural programs care programming for underserved populations.” Giving mainly focuses on “Hartford and the contiguous neighboring communities.” Bank of America’s page for this foundation does not provide detailed information about this foundation’s giving strategies.
Grants for Housing Homelessness and Community Development
The Ensworth Charitable Foundation demonstrates a strong commitment to initiatives for housing stability and homelessness, mainly in and around Hartford, Connecticut.
One grantee, ImmaCare, “strives to eliminate homelessness in the Hartford region, while building a more vibrant community, by creating safe and affordable housing options and increasing the skills, income and hope of those who struggle with housing crisis.” Other grantees in the Hartford area include Mercy Housing and Shelter, Interval House, the Connecticut Coalition to End Homelessness and Hands on Hartford, which “provides food, housing, and support for people in need in Hartford.” This funder has also supported Community Solutions, a national organization that “works to create a lasting end to homelessness that leaves no one behind.”
Grants for Education, Work and Opportunity
This funder also supports education and career skills development for economic stability. A grantee in Hartford, Our Piece of the Pie, helps young people “achieve their goals through personal development, academic achievement, and workforce readiness.”
Other grantees in these areas include Forge City Works, the Ethel Walker School, the Hartford Public Library and Organized Parents Make a Difference, which was established “by parents of Hartford Public School children to broaden the experiences and interests of students and give them positive peer and adult role-models.”
Grants for Arts and Culture
Arts and culture are smaller areas of giving for this funder, but a handful of grants support Hartford-area organizations each year. Recipients include the Wadsworth Atheneum Museum of Art, the Greater Hartford Arts Council, the Hartford Stage and TheatreWorks.
Grants for Health and Mental Health
The Ensworth Foundation’s mission names health as a giving priority, but its recent giving also reflects an interest in mental health, focusing on the needs of vulnerable and uninsured people. Health and mental health grantees include Circle of Care for Families with Cancer, Malta House of Care, Volunteers in Psychotherapy, Covenant to Care for Children and the Hartford Gay and Lesbian Health Collective.
Grants for Jewish Causes
Jewish causes represent the foundation’s smallest giving area, with only a few grants awarded each year. Grantees include the Charter Oak Temple Restoration Association, Jewish Family Service of Greater Hartford and
Important Grant Details:
Grants range from $3,000 to $40,000.
Grantmaking mainly serves Hartford, Connecticut and surrounding communities, focusing on the area’s most vulnerable populations.
This funder mainly supports small- to medium-sized organizations that have a strong impact on the communities they serve.
The foundation occasionally offers multi-year support for up to three years.
Apply via Bank of America’s application portal. The due date for this fund is January 15. Find application guidelines here.
For information about past giving, see the foundation’s tax filings.
Direct general questions to the staff at ct.grantmaking@ustrust.com or 860-244-4870.
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